Playback of Curated According to Media Preferences

ABSTRACT

Example techniques involve playback of curated playlists based on media preferences. In an example implementation, a playback device receives data representing one or more instructions to play back a particular curated playlist of a streaming audio service and, in response, plays back audio tracks of the particular curated playlist. During playback, when a preference database includes a negative preference for a given audio track, the playback device skips that audio track.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to, and is acontinuation of, U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No.16/182,993, filed on Nov. 7, 2018, entitled “Playback of Internet RadioAccording to Media Preferences,” which is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 16/182,993 claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to, and is a continuation of, U.S.non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/338,816, filed on Oct.31, 2016, entitled “Playback of Media Content According to MediaPreferences,” and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,133,817 on Nov. 20, 2018,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

U.S. non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/338,816 claimspriority under 35 U.S.C. § 120 to, and is a continuation of, U.S.non-provisional patent application Ser. No. 14/263,750, filed on Apr.28, 2014, entitled “Playback of Media Content According to MediaPreferences,” and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 9,524,338 on Dec. 20, 2106,which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The disclosure is related to consumer goods and, more particularly, tomethods, systems, products, features, services, and other elementsdirected to media playback or some aspect thereof.

BACKGROUND

Options for accessing and listening to digital audio in an out-loudsetting were limited until in 2003, when SONOS, Inc. filed for one ofits first patent applications, entitled “Method for Synchronizing AudioPlayback between Multiple Networked Devices,” and began offering a mediaplayback system for sale in 2005. The Sonos Wireless HiFi System enablespeople to experience music from many sources via one or more networkedplayback devices. Through a software control application installed on asmartphone, tablet, or computer, one can play what he or she wants inany room that has a networked playback device. Additionally, using thecontroller, for example, different songs can be streamed to each roomwith a playback device, rooms can be grouped together for synchronousplayback, or the same song can be heard in all rooms synchronously.

Given the ever growing interest in digital media, there continues to bea need to develop consumer-accessible technologies to further enhancethe listening experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Features, aspects, and advantages of the presently disclosed technologymay be better understood with regard to the following description,appended claims, and accompanying drawings where:

FIG. 1 shows an example media playback system configuration in whichcertain embodiments may be practiced;

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device;

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device;

FIG. 4 shows an example controller interface;

FIG. 5 shows an example media playback system environment;

FIG. 6 shows an example flow diagram of a method for managing playbackof media content based on media preferences; and

FIG. 7 shows aspects of an example preference database.

The drawings are for the purpose of illustrating example embodiments,but it is understood that the inventions are not limited to thearrangements and instrumentality shown in the drawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION I. Overview

Some embodiments described herein involve managing playback of mediabased on media preferences. In particular, some embodiments involvepreventing media content from being played based on negative mediapreferences associated with the media content. In one embodiment, acomputing device, such as a device associated with a media playbacksystem, may receive an indication that a media item is available to beplayed by the media playback system. The computing device may thenidentify a media preference associated with the media item. In oneexample, the media preference may be identified in a preference databaseassociated with the media playback system. Based on the identified mediapreference, the computing device may then determine whether the mediacontent should be played. If the identified media preference is anegative media preference, the computing device may determine that themedia item should not be played and prevent the media item from beingplayed.

In one example, the media playback system may be configured to playmedia content provided by a service provider. Accordingly, the serviceprovider may provide information regarding media content that theservice provider is and/or will be providing to the media playbacksystem for playback. The information may include metadata identifyingone or more of a track title, artist name, album name, and genre of themedia content, among other information.

Upon receiving an indication that the media playback system is to playparticular media content, the computing device may identify one or moremedia preferences associated with the media content. In one example, thecomputing device may access a preference database to identify the one ormore media preferences. The preference database may be a database ofmedia preferences associated with the media playback system, and/or anyuser profiles associated with the media playback system. In one case,the database may include media preferences received in association withspecific media items. In another case, the database may include mediapreferences associated with groups of media items, such as media itemswithin one or more genres, or media items by one or more artists. Ineither case, the preference database includes information identifyingmedia content, and media preferences associated with the media content.

If a negative media preference is identified, the computing device maydetermine that the media content should not be played. In this case, themedia playback system may send to the media playback system (or aplayback device in the media playback system that would otherwise playthe media content), an indication that the playback device is not toplay the media content. Alternatively, if a positive media preference orno media preference is identified, the computing device may determinethat the media content should be played as provided by the serviceprovider. In this case, the media playback system may allow the mediacontent to be played by the playback device, or send an indication thatthe media content can be played. Other examples, including those thatwill be discussed in the following sections, are also possible.

As indicated above, the present application involves managing mediaplayback based on media preferences. In one embodiment, a method isprovided. The method involves receiving, by a computing device, dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the received data, identifying, by the computingdevice, in a preference database associated with the media playbacksystem, a media preference. The method also involves, based on theidentified media preference, determining, by the computing device, thatthe media item is not to be played by the playback device, and sending,by the computing device, an indication that the media item is not to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable bythe processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving data indicating that a media item is available to beplayed by a playback device, and based on the received data, identifyingin a preference database associated with the media playback system, amedia preference. The functions also include, based on the identifiedmedia preference, determining that the media item is not to be played bythe playback device, and sending an indication that the media item isnot to be played.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions. The functions include receiving dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the received data, identifying in a preferencedatabase associated with the media playback system, a media preference.The functions also include, based on the identified media preference,determining that the media item is not to be played by the playbackdevice, and sending an indication that the media item is not to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method involvesreceiving, by a computing device, data indicating that a media item isavailable to be played by a playback device, and based on theinformation associated with the media item, identifying, by thecomputing device, a media preference. The method further involves, basedon the identified media preference, determining that the media item isto be played by the playback device, and causing the media item to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable bythe processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving data indicating that a media item is available to beplayed by a playback device, and based on the information associatedwith the media item, identifying a media preference. The functionsfurther include, based on the identified media preference, determiningthat the media item is to be played by the playback device, and causingthe media item to be played.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions. The functions include receiving dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the information associated with the media item,identifying a media preference. The functions further include, based onthe identified media preference, determining that the media item is tobe played by the playback device, and causing the media item to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method involvesreceiving, by a computing device, data indicating that a media item isavailable to be played by a playback device, and based on the receiveddata, identifying, by the computing device, a media preference. Themethod further involves, based on the identified media preference,determining, by the computing device, one of the following: (a) that themedia item is not to be played by the playback device, and (b) that themedia item is to be played by the playback device. If a determination ismade that the media item is not to be played by the playback device, themethod involves sending, by the computing device, an indication that themedia item is not to be played. If a determination is made that themedia item is to be played, the method involves causing, by thecomputing device, the media item to be played.

In another embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable bythe processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving data indicating that a media item is available to beplayed by a playback device, and based on the received data, a mediapreference. The functions further include, based on the identified mediapreference, determining one of the following: (a) that the media item isnot to be played by the playback device, and (b) that the media item isto be played by the playback device. If a determination is made that themedia item is not to be played by the playback device, the functionsinclude sending an indication that the media item is not to be played.If a determination is made that the media item is to be played, thefunctions include causing the media item to be played.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions. The functions include receiving dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the received data, identifying a media preference.The functions further include, based on the identified media preference,determining one of the following: (a) that the media item is not to beplayed by the playback device, and (b) that the media item is to beplayed by the playback device. If a determination is made that the mediaitem is not to be played by the playback device, the functions includesending an indication that the media item is not to be played. If adetermination is made that the media item is to be played, the functionsinclude causing the media item to be played.

It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that thisdisclosure includes numerous other embodiments.

II. Example Operating Environment

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of a media playback system 100 inwhich one or more embodiments disclosed herein may be practiced orimplemented. The media playback system 100 as shown is associated withan example home environment having several rooms and spaces, such as forexample, a master bedroom, an office, a dining room, and a living room.As shown in the example of FIG. 1, the media playback system 100includes playback devices 102-124, control devices 126 and 128, and awired or wireless network router 130.

Further discussions relating to the different components of the examplemedia playback system 100 and how the different components may interactto provide a user with a media experience may be found in the followingsections. While discussions herein may generally refer to the examplemedia playback system 100, technologies described herein are not limitedto applications within, among other things, the home environment asshown in FIG. 1. For instance, the technologies described herein may beuseful in environments where multi-zone audio may be desired, such as,for example, a commercial setting like a restaurant, mall or airport, avehicle like a sports utility vehicle (SUV), bus or car, a ship or boat,an airplane, and so on.

a. Example Playback Devices

FIG. 2 shows a functional block diagram of an example playback device200 that may be configured to be one or more of the playback devices102-124 of the media playback system 100 of FIG. 1. The playback device200 may include a processor 202, software components 204, memory 206,audio processing components 208, audio amplifier(s) 210, speaker(s) 212,and a network interface 214 including wireless interface(s) 216 andwired interface(s) 218. In one case, the playback device 200 may notinclude the speaker(s) 212, but rather a speaker interface forconnecting the playback device 200 to external speakers. In anothercase, the playback device 200 may include neither the speaker(s) 212 northe audio amplifier(s) 210, but rather an audio interface for connectingthe playback device 200 to an external audio amplifier or audio-visualreceiver.

In one example, the processor 202 may be a clock-driven computingcomponent configured to process input data according to instructionsstored in the memory 206. The memory 206 may be a tangiblecomputer-readable medium configured to store instructions executable bythe processor 202. For instance, the memory 206 may be data storage thatcan be loaded with one or more of the software components 204 executableby the processor 202 to achieve certain functions. In one example, thefunctions may involve the playback device 200 retrieving audio data froman audio source or another playback device. In another example, thefunctions may involve the playback device 200 sending audio data toanother device or playback device on a network. In yet another example,the functions may involve pairing of the playback device 200 with one ormore playback devices to create a multi-channel audio environment.

Certain functions may involve the playback device 200 synchronizingplayback of audio content with one or more other playback devices.During synchronous playback, a listener will preferably not be able toperceive time-delay differences between playback of the audio content bythe playback device 200 and the one or more other playback devices. U.S.Pat. No. 8,234,395 entitled, “System and method for synchronizingoperations among a plurality of independently clocked digital dataprocessing devices,” which is hereby incorporated by reference, providesin more detail some examples for audio playback synchronization amongplayback devices.

The memory 206 may further be configured to store data associated withthe playback device 200, such as one or more zones and/or zone groupsthe playback device 200 is a part of, audio sources accessible by theplayback device 200, or a playback queue that the playback device 200(or some other playback device) may be associated with. The data may bestored as one or more state variables that are periodically updated andused to describe the state of the playback device 200. The memory 206may also include the data associated with the state of the other devicesof the media system, and shared from time to time among the devices sothat one or more of the devices have the most recent data associatedwith the system. Other embodiments are also possible.

The audio processing components 208 may include one or moredigital-to-analog converters (DAC), an audio preprocessing component, anaudio enhancement component or a digital signal processor (DSP), and soon. In one embodiment, one or more of the audio processing components208 may be a subcomponent of the processor 202. In one example, audiocontent may be processed and/or intentionally altered by the audioprocessing components 208 to produce audio signals. The produced audiosignals may then be provided to the audio amplifier(s) 210 foramplification and playback through speaker(s) 212. Particularly, theaudio amplifier(s) 210 may include devices configured to amplify audiosignals to a level for driving one or more of the speakers 212. Thespeaker(s) 212 may include an individual transducer (e.g., a “driver”)or a complete speaker system involving an enclosure with one or moredrivers. A particular driver of the speaker(s) 212 may include, forexample, a subwoofer (e.g., for low frequencies), a mid-range driver(e.g., for middle frequencies), and/or a tweeter (e.g., for highfrequencies). In some cases, each transducer in the one or more speakers212 may be driven by an individual corresponding audio amplifier of theaudio amplifier(s) 210. In addition to producing analog signals forplayback by the playback device 200, the audio processing components 208may be configured to process audio content to be sent to one or moreother playback devices for playback.

Audio content to be processed and/or played back by the playback device200 may be received from an external source, such as via an audioline-in input connection (e.g., an auto-detecting 3.5 mm audio line-inconnection) or the network interface 214.

The network interface 214 may be configured to facilitate a data flowbetween the playback device 200 and one or more other devices on a datanetwork. As such, the playback device 200 may be configured to receiveaudio content over the data network from one or more other playbackdevices in communication with the playback device 200, network deviceswithin a local area network, or audio content sources over a wide areanetwork such as the Internet. In one example, the audio content andother signals transmitted and received by the playback device 200 may betransmitted in the form of digital packet data containing an InternetProtocol (IP)-based source address and IP-based destination addresses.In such a case, the network interface 214 may be configured to parse thedigital packet data such that the data destined for the playback device200 is properly received and processed by the playback device 200.

As shown, the network interface 214 may include wireless interface(s)216 and wired interface(s) 218. The wireless interface(s) 216 mayprovide network interface functions for the playback device 200 towirelessly communicate with other devices (e.g., other playbackdevice(s), speaker(s), receiver(s), network device(s), control device(s)within a data network the playback device 200 is associated with) inaccordance with a communication protocol (e.g., any wireless standardincluding IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.15, 4Gmobile communication standard, and so on). The wired interface(s) 218may provide network interface functions for the playback device 200 tocommunicate over a wired connection with other devices in accordancewith a communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.3). While the networkinterface 214 shown in FIG. 2 includes both wireless interface(s) 216and wired interface(s) 218, the network interface 214 may in someembodiments include only wireless interface(s) or only wiredinterface(s).

In one example, the playback device 200 and one other playback devicemay be paired to play two separate audio components of audio content.For instance, playback device 200 may be configured to play a leftchannel audio component, while the other playback device may beconfigured to play a right channel audio component, thereby producing orenhancing a stereo effect of the audio content. The paired playbackdevices (also referred to as “bonded playback devices”) may further playaudio content in synchrony with other playback devices.

In another example, the playback device 200 may be sonicallyconsolidated with one or more other playback devices to form a single,consolidated playback device. A consolidated playback device may beconfigured to process and reproduce sound differently than anunconsolidated playback device or playback devices that are paired,because a consolidated playback device may have additional speakerdrivers through which audio content may be rendered. For instance, ifthe playback device 200 is a playback device designed to render lowfrequency range audio content (i.e. a subwoofer), the playback device200 may be consolidated with a playback device designed to render fullfrequency range audio content. In such a case, the full frequency rangeplayback device, when consolidated with the low frequency playbackdevice 200, may be configured to render only the mid and high frequencycomponents of audio content, while the low frequency range playbackdevice 200 renders the low frequency component of the audio content. Theconsolidated playback device may further be paired with a singleplayback device or yet another consolidated playback device.

By way of illustration, SONOS, Inc. presently offers (or has offered)for sale certain playback devices including a “PLAY:1,” “PLAY:3,”“PLAY:5,” “PLAYBAR,” “CONNECT:AMP,” “CONNECT,” and “SUB.” Any otherpast, present, and/or future playback devices may additionally oralternatively be used to implement the playback devices of exampleembodiments disclosed herein. Additionally, it is understood that aplayback device is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 2 orto the SONOS product offerings. For example, a playback device mayinclude a wired or wireless headphone. In another example, a playbackdevice may include or interact with a docking station for personalmobile media playback devices. In yet another example, a playback devicemay be integral to another device or component such as a television, alighting fixture, or some other device for indoor or outdoor use.

b. Example Playback Zone Configurations

Referring back to the media playback system 100 of FIG. 1, theenvironment may have one or more playback zones, each with one or moreplayback devices. The media playback system 100 may be established withone or more playback zones, after which one or more zones may be added,or removed to arrive at the example configuration shown in FIG. 1. Eachzone may be given a name according to a different room or space such asan office, bathroom, master bedroom, bedroom, kitchen, dining room,living room, and/or balcony. In one case, a single playback zone mayinclude multiple rooms or spaces. In another case, a single room orspace may include multiple playback zones.

As shown in FIG. 1, the balcony, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, office,and bedroom zones each have one playback device, while the living roomand master bedroom zones each have multiple playback devices. In theliving room zone, playback devices 104, 106, 108, and 110 may beconfigured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playbackdevices, as one or more bonded playback devices, as one or moreconsolidated playback devices, or any combination thereof. Similarly, inthe case of the master bedroom, playback devices 122 and 124 may beconfigured to play audio content in synchrony as individual playbackdevices, as a bonded playback device, or as a consolidated playbackdevice.

In one example, one or more playback zones in the environment of FIG. 1may each be playing different audio content. For instance, the user maybe grilling in the balcony zone and listening to hip hop music beingplayed by the playback device 102 while another user may be preparingfood in the kitchen zone and listening to classical music being playedby the playback device 114. In another example, a playback zone may playthe same audio content in synchrony with another playback zone. Forinstance, the user may be in the office zone where the playback device118 is playing the same rock music that is being playing by playbackdevice 102 in the balcony zone. In such a case, playback devices 102 and118 may be playing the rock music in synchrony such that the user mayseamlessly (or at least substantially seamlessly) enjoy the audiocontent that is being played out-loud while moving between differentplayback zones. Synchronization among playback zones may be achieved ina manner similar to that of synchronization among playback devices, asdescribed in previously referenced U.S. Pat. No. 8,234,395.

As suggested above, the zone configurations of the media playback system100 may be dynamically modified, and in some embodiments, the mediaplayback system 100 supports numerous configurations. For instance, if auser physically moves one or more playback devices to or from a zone,the media playback system 100 may be reconfigured to accommodate thechange(s). For instance, if the user physically moves the playbackdevice 102 from the balcony zone to the office zone, the office zone maynow include both the playback device 118 and the playback device 102.The playback device 102 may be paired or grouped with the office zoneand/or renamed if so desired via a control device such as the controldevices 126 and 128. On the other hand, if the one or more playbackdevices are moved to a particular area in the home environment that isnot already a playback zone, a new playback zone may be created for theparticular area.

Further, different playback zones of the media playback system 100 maybe dynamically combined into zone groups or split up into individualplayback zones. For instance, the dining room zone and the kitchen zone114 may be combined into a zone group for a dinner party such thatplayback devices 112 and 114 may render audio content in synchrony. Onthe other hand, the living room zone may be split into a television zoneincluding playback device 104, and a listening zone including playbackdevices 106, 108, and 110, if the user wishes to listen to music in theliving room space while another user wishes to watch television.

c. Example Control Devices

FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of an example control device 300that may be configured to be one or both of the control devices 126 and128 of the media playback system 100. As shown, the control device 300may include a processor 302, memory 304, a network interface 306, and auser interface 308. In one example, the control device 300 may be adedicated controller for the media playback system 100. In anotherexample, the control device 300 may be a network device on which mediaplayback system controller application software may be installed, suchas for example, an iPhone™, iPad™ or any other smart phone, tablet ornetwork device (e.g., a networked computer such as a PC or Mac™)

The processor 302 may be configured to perform functions relevant tofacilitating user access, control, and configuration of the mediaplayback system 100. The memory 304 may be configured to storeinstructions executable by the processor 302 to perform those functions.The memory 304 may also be configured to store the media playback systemcontroller application software and other data associated with the mediaplayback system 100 and the user.

In one example, the network interface 306 may be based on an industrystandard (e.g., infrared, radio, wired standards including IEEE 802.3,wireless standards including IEEE 802.11a, 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n,802.11ac, 802.15, 4G mobile communication standard, and so on). Thenetwork interface 306 may provide a means for the control device 300 tocommunicate with other devices in the media playback system 100. In oneexample, data and information (e.g., such as a state variable) may becommunicated between control device 300 and other devices via thenetwork interface 306. For instance, playback zone and zone groupconfigurations in the media playback system 100 may be received by thecontrol device 300 from a playback device or another network device, ortransmitted by the control device 300 to another playback device ornetwork device via the network interface 306. In some cases, the othernetwork device may be another control device.

Playback device control commands such as volume control and audioplayback control may also be communicated from the control device 300 toa playback device via the network interface 306. As suggested above,changes to configurations of the media playback system 100 may also beperformed by a user using the control device 300. The configurationchanges may include adding/removing one or more playback devices to/froma zone, adding/removing one or more zones to/from a zone group, forminga bonded or consolidated player, separating one or more playback devicesfrom a bonded or consolidated player, among others. Accordingly, thecontrol device 300 may sometimes be referred to as a controller, whetherthe control device 300 is a dedicated controller or a network device onwhich media playback system controller application software isinstalled.

The user interface 308 of the control device 300 may be configured tofacilitate user access and control of the media playback system 100, byproviding a controller interface such as the controller interface 400shown in FIG. 4. The controller interface 400 includes a playbackcontrol region 410, a playback zone region 420, a playback status region430, a playback queue region 440, and an audio content sources region450. The user interface 400 as shown is just one example of a userinterface that may be provided on a network device such as the controldevice 300 of FIG. 3 (and/or the control devices 126 and 128 of FIG. 1)and accessed by users to control a media playback system such as themedia playback system 100. Other user interfaces of varying formats,styles, and interactive sequences may alternatively be implemented onone or more network devices to provide comparable control access to amedia playback system.

The playback control region 410 may include selectable (e.g., by way oftouch or by using a cursor) icons to cause playback devices in aselected playback zone or zone group to play or pause, fast forward,rewind, skip to next, skip to previous, enter/exit shuffle mode,enter/exit repeat mode, enter/exit cross fade mode. The playback controlregion 410 may also include selectable icons to modify equalizationsettings, and playback volume, among other possibilities.

The playback zone region 420 may include representations of playbackzones within the media playback system 100. In some embodiments, thegraphical representations of playback zones may be selectable to bringup additional selectable icons to manage or configure the playback zonesin the media playback system, such as a creation of bonded zones,creation of zone groups, separation of zone groups, and renaming of zonegroups, among other possibilities.

For example, as shown, a “group” icon may be provided within each of thegraphical representations of playback zones. The “group” icon providedwithin a graphical representation of a particular zone may be selectableto bring up options to select one or more other zones in the mediaplayback system to be grouped with the particular zone. Once grouped,playback devices in the zones that have been grouped with the particularzone will be configured to play audio content in synchrony with theplayback device(s) in the particular zone. Analogously, a “group” iconmay be provided within a graphical representation of a zone group. Inthis case, the “group” icon may be selectable to bring up options todeselect one or more zones in the zone group to be removed from the zonegroup. Other interactions and implementations for grouping andungrouping zones via a user interface such as the user interface 400 arealso possible. The representations of playback zones in the playbackzone region 420 may be dynamically updated as playback zone or zonegroup configurations are modified.

The playback status region 430 may include graphical representations ofaudio content that is presently being played, previously played, orscheduled to play next in the selected playback zone or zone group. Theselected playback zone or zone group may be visually distinguished onthe user interface, such as within the playback zone region 420 and/orthe playback status region 430. The graphical representations mayinclude track title, artist name, album name, album year, track length,and other relevant information that may be useful for the user to knowwhen controlling the media playback system via the user interface 400.

The playback queue region 440 may include graphical representations ofaudio content in a playback queue associated with the selected playbackzone or zone group. In some embodiments, each playback zone or zonegroup may be associated with a playback queue containing informationcorresponding to zero or more audio items for playback by the playbackzone or zone group. For instance, each audio item in the playback queuemay comprise a uniform resource identifier (URI), a uniform resourcelocator (URL) or some other identifier that may be used by a playbackdevice in the playback zone or zone group to find and/or retrieve theaudio item from a local audio content source or a networked audiocontent source, possibly for playback by the playback device.

In one example, a playlist may be added to a playback queue, in whichcase information corresponding to each audio item in the playlist may beadded to the playback queue. In another example, audio items in aplayback queue may be saved as a playlist. In a further example, aplayback queue may be empty, or populated but “not in use” when theplayback zone or zone group is playing continuously streaming audiocontent, such as Internet radio that may continue to play untilotherwise stopped, rather than discrete audio items that have playbackdurations. In an alternative embodiment, a playback queue can includeInternet radio and/or other streaming audio content items and be “inuse” when the playback zone or zone group is playing those items. Otherexamples are also possible.

When playback zones or zone groups are “grouped” or “ungrouped,”playback queues associated with the affected playback zones or zonegroups may be cleared or re-associated. For example, if a first playbackzone including a first playback queue is grouped with a second playbackzone including a second playback queue, the established zone group mayhave an associated playback queue that is initially empty, that containsaudio items from the first playback queue (such as if the secondplayback zone was added to the first playback zone), that contains audioitems from the second playback queue (such as if the first playback zonewas added to the second playback zone), or a combination of audio itemsfrom both the first and second playback queues. Subsequently, if theestablished zone group is ungrouped, the resulting first playback zonemay be re-associated with the previous first playback queue, or beassociated with a new playback queue that is empty or contains audioitems from the playback queue associated with the established zone groupbefore the established zone group was ungrouped. Similarly, theresulting second playback zone may be re-associated with the previoussecond playback queue, or be associated with a new playback queue thatis empty, or contains audio items from the playback queue associatedwith the established zone group before the established zone group wasungrouped. Other examples are also possible.

Referring back to the user interface 400 of FIG. 4, the graphicalrepresentations of audio content in the playback queue region 440 mayinclude track titles, artist names, track lengths, and other relevantinformation associated with the audio content in the playback queue. Inone example, graphical representations of audio content may beselectable to bring up additional selectable icons to manage and/ormanipulate the playback queue and/or audio content represented in theplayback queue. For instance, a represented audio content may be removedfrom the playback queue, moved to a different position within theplayback queue, or selected to be played immediately, or after anycurrently playing audio content, among other possibilities. A playbackqueue associated with a playback zone or zone group may be stored in amemory on one or more playback devices in the playback zone or zonegroup, on a playback device that is not in the playback zone or zonegroup, and/or some other designated device.

The audio content sources region 450 may include graphicalrepresentations of selectable audio content sources from which audiocontent may be retrieved and played by the selected playback zone orzone group. Discussions pertaining to audio content sources may be foundin the following section.

d. Example Audio Content Sources

As indicated previously, one or more playback devices in a zone or zonegroup may be configured to retrieve for playback audio content (e.g.according to a corresponding URI or URL for the audio content) from avariety of available audio content sources. In one example, audiocontent may be retrieved by a playback device directly from acorresponding audio content source (e.g., a line-in connection). Inanother example, audio content may be provided to a playback device overa network via one or more other playback devices or network devices.

Example audio content sources may include a memory of one or moreplayback devices in a media playback system such as the media playbacksystem 100 of FIG. 1, local music libraries on one or more networkdevices (such as a control device, a network-enabled personal computer,or a networked-attached storage (NAS), for example), streaming audioservices providing audio content via the Internet (e.g., the cloud), oraudio sources connected to the media playback system via a line-in inputconnection on a playback device or network devise, among otherpossibilities.

In some embodiments, audio content sources may be regularly added orremoved from a media playback system such as the media playback system100 of FIG. 1. In one example, an indexing of audio items may beperformed whenever one or more audio content sources are added, removedor updated. Indexing of audio items may involve scanning foridentifiable audio items in all folders/directory shared over a networkaccessible by playback devices in the media playback system, andgenerating or updating an audio content database containing metadata(e.g., title, artist, album, track length, among others) and otherassociated information, such as a URI or URL for each identifiable audioitem found. Other examples for managing and maintaining audio contentsources may also be possible.

The above discussions relating to playback devices, controller devices,playback zone configurations, and media content sources provide onlysome examples of operating environments within which functions andmethods described below may be implemented. Other operating environmentsand configurations of media playback systems, playback devices, andnetwork devices not explicitly described herein may also be applicableand suitable for implementation of the functions and methods.

III. Example Method for Managing Playback of Media Content

As discussed above, examples described herein may involve managing mediaplayback based on media preferences. FIG. 5 shows an example mediaplayback system environment 500 within which the embodiments may beimplemented. As shown, the media playback system environment 500includes an example service provider 502, an example media system server504, and an example media playback system 506. Each of the serviceprovider 502, media system server 504, and media playback system maycommunicate with each other either directly, or indirectly via anotherdevice, over a local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN) or somecombination thereof.

The media playback system 506 may be a playback system such as thatdescribed above in connection to FIG. 1, and may include one or moreplayback devices configured to play media content in synchrony withinone or more playback zones. In one example, the media playback system506 may be accessed using one or more user profiles.

The media system server 504 may be a server associated with the mediaplayback system 506 and/or a provider of media playback system 506. Themedia system server 504 may store information, such as playback deviceinformation, playback zone information, service provider associationinformation, and/or user profile information, among other informationfor media playback systems, such as the media playback system 506.

The service provider 502 may provide media content for playback by themedia playback system 506. The media playback system 506 may access theservice provider 502 using a user account. As such, the one or more userprofiles used to access the media playback system 506 may use the useraccount to access the service provider 502. The service provider 502 maybe a media streaming service that provides individual media items and/orcollections of media items (i.e. albums, playlists, radio channels,etc.). In one example, the service provider 502 may provide a curatedplaylist based on media preferences and/or inputs of a user account forthe service provider 502. In one case, the service provider 502 may, inresponse to a request for a particular genre of music, provide a seriesof music within the particular genre. In another case, the serviceprovider 502 may provide a series of music selected based on mediapreferences associated with the user account. Other examples of servicesavailable through service provider 502 are also possible.

In some cases, the service provider 502 may provide a media item to auser account used to access the service provider 502 (and/or a userprofile associated with the media playback system 506), but the useraccount/user profile may actually have a negative media preferenceassociated with the media item. For instance, the user account and/oruser profile may be associated with a negative media preference for aparticular artist within the genre of music. Nonetheless, if the serviceprovider 502 is providing media content based on a request for the genreof music and/or based on a positive media preference for the genre ofmusic that is associated with the user account, the service provider 502may provide media items by the particular artist, despite the negativemedia preference for the particular artist.

Embodiments described herein may be implemented for managing playback ofmedia content based on media preferences such that media items is notplayed if the media if a negative media preference is associated betweenthe media item and a user account and/or user profile. FIG. 6 shows anexample flow diagram of an example method 600 for such an embodiment.Method 600 shown in FIG. 6 presents an embodiment of a method that canbe implemented within an operating environment involving, for example,the media playback system 100 of FIG. 1, one or more of the playbackdevice 200 of FIG. 2, one or more of the control device 300 of FIG. 3,and the media playback system environment 500 of FIG. 5. In other words,the method 600 may be performed by any one or more of the devices,systems, and servers described above. In one example, the functions ofthe embodiments as discussed herein are performed by the media systemserver 504. In another example, the functions may alternatively beperformed by one or more devices associated with the media playbacksystem 506, such as one or more playback devices in the media playbacksystem 506 and/or one or more controller devices used to access themedia playback system 506. In a further example, the functions may beperformed in part by the media system server 504 and in part by one ormore devices in the media playback system 506. Other examples are alsopossible.

Method 600 may include one or more operations, functions, or actions asillustrated by one or more of blocks 602-610. Although the blocks areillustrated in sequential order, these blocks may also be performed inparallel, and/or in a different order than those described herein. Also,the various blocks may be combined into fewer blocks, divided intoadditional blocks, and/or removed based upon the desired implementation.

In addition, for the method 600 and other processes and methodsdisclosed herein, the flowchart shows functionality and operation of onepossible implementation of present embodiments. In this regard, eachblock may represent a module, a segment, or a portion of program code,which includes one or more instructions executable by a processor forimplementing specific logical functions or steps in the process. Theprogram code may be stored on any type of computer readable medium, forexample, such as a storage device including a disk or hard drive. Thecomputer readable medium may include non-transitory computer readablemedium, for example, such as computer-readable media that stores datafor short periods of time like register memory, processor cache andRandom Access Memory (RAM). The computer readable medium may alsoinclude non-transitory media, such as secondary or persistent long termstorage, like read only memory (ROM), optical or magnetic disks,compact-disc read only memory (CD-ROM), for example. The computerreadable media may also be any other volatile or non-volatile storagesystems. The computer readable medium may be considered a computerreadable storage medium, for example, or a tangible storage device. Inaddition, for the method 600 and other processes and methods disclosedherein, each block in FIG. 6 may represent circuitry that is wired toperform the specific logical functions in the process.

At block 602, the method 600 involves receiving data indicating that amedia item is available to be played by a playback device. Continuingwith the examples above, the playback device may be a playback device inthe media playback system 506. In one example, the data may be receivedfrom the service provider 502. In another example, the data may bereceived from a controller device, or another device associated with themedia playback system 506. The data may include metadata identifying themedia item. The metadata may indicate one or more of a track title,artist name, album name, genre, or contextual information such as a timeof day, season, or activity the media item may be associated with orsuitable for, among others.

The media item may be a media item identified by the service provider502 based on a request for media content to be played by the playbackdevice. In one example, the data may be provided by the service provider502 when a transmission of media data for the media item to the playbackdevice. In one example, the data may be provided to the media systemserver 504 from the service provider 502. For instance, the serviceprovider 502 may provide the data to the media system server 504 whileproviding the media data to the playback device of the media playbacksystem 506. In another example, the data may be provided to the mediaplayback system 506. In a further example, the data may be provided tothe media system server 504 from the service provider 502 via the mediaplayback system.

At block 604, the method 600 involves identifying a media preferencebased on the received data. In one example, the media preference may beidentified in a preference database. In one case, the preferencedatabase may be affiliated with the media playback system 506, and maycontain various media preferences associated with user profiles andmedia items associated with the media playback system 506. In oneinstance, media preferences in the preference database may have beenprovided as feedback to media items provided by the service provider 502and/or any other service providers that provide media content to themedia playback system 506. In another instance, media preferences in thepreference database may have been provided as part of setting up andcustomizing one or more user profiles. Other examples of providing mediapreferences may exist.

FIG. 7 shows an example preference database 700 that may be affiliatedwith the media playback system 506. In one example, the preferencedatabase 700 may be stored on one or more remote servers, such as themedia system server 504. In another example, the preference database maybe stored on one or more local devices in communication with the mediaplayback system 506. In a further example, parts of the preferencedatabase may be stored on the one or more remote servers and the one ormore local devices. Other examples are also possible.

As shown, the preference database 700 includes columns for informationidentifying a media item, including a track title column, an artist namecolumn, an album name column, and a genre column. For each media itementry, a media preference associated with the media item is shown in amedia preference column. In this example, a “+” in the media preferencecolumn may indicate a positive media preference for the respectiveentry, and a “−” in the media preference column may indicate a negativemedia preference for the respective entry. In some cases, the mediapreferences may alternatively be on a gradient scale, rather than abinary scale. For instance, a media preference may range from one tofive, with “one” indicating a relatively negative preference and “five”indicating a relatively positive preference. Other examples are alsopossible.

One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the preferencedatabase 700 and the entries shown in FIG. 7 are for illustrationpurposes only and should not be considered limiting. Other databaseformats for storing media preferences are also possible.

In one example, additional columns may be included. For instance, aservice-provider identification column for the media item may beincluded. If the media item was being accessed through the serviceprovider 502 when the user provided the media preference for the mediaitem, a service-provider identification of the media item used by theservice provider 502 to identify the media item may be recorded in theservice-provider identification column for the respective entry. Inanother example, a user profile column identifying a user profileassociated with the respective entry and respective media preference mayalso be included in the preference database 700.

Referring back to block 604, identifying a media preference based on thereceived data may, in one example, involve sending to an externalpreference source (such as another service provider, for example), arequest for preference data based on the received data, and receivingthe preference data in response to the request. In another example, asmentioned previously, identifying a media preference based on thereceived data may involve searching in the preference database (whetherthe database is stored locally or remotely) for database entriesassociated with the media item. The search may be based on metadataassociated with the media item.

In one instance, the identified media preference may be directlyassociated with the media item. For instance, referring to FIG. 7, ifthe metadata indicates a track title of “Track 23” and an artist name of“Artist 1,” a media preference for a database entry having a matchingtrack title and artist name may be identified in the preferencedatabase. As shown in the preference database 700, a negative mediapreference may accordingly be identified as being associated with themedia item having the track title of Track 23 and the artist name ofArtist 1.

In some cases, the search for database entries in the preferencedatabase may be implemented such that exact matches are required. Forinstance, if the metadata indicates a different album name than“Compilation 4,” as shown in FIG. 7, then the media preferenceassociated with Track 23 and Artist 1 may not be identified as relevantto the media item.

In some other cases, the search for database entries in the preferencedatabase 700 may be implemented according to an approximate stringmatching (or “fuzzy matching”). In such a case, if the metadataindicates a different album name than “Compilation 4” for Track 23 andArtist 1, the media preference associated with the entry in thepreference database 700 having a track title of Track 23 and an artistname of Artist 1 may still be recognized as being applicable to themedia item.

In another example, the identified media preference may be indirectlyassociated with the media item, but rather associated with media contentsimilar to the media item. For instance, the received metadata mayindicate a genre of the media item. In this case, if media preferencesassociated with entries in the preference database having the indicatedgenre are positive or negative, a media preference that is positive ornegative, respectively, may be identified for the media item. In onecase, as shown in FIG. 7, a positive media preference may be associatedwith an entry having only a genre of “Genre 3.” As such, a positivemedia preference may be identified for the media item if the metadatareceived for the media item indicates a genre of Genre 3.

In yet another example, the media playback system 506 may recognizeparticular nuances in the media preferences stored in the preferencedatabase 700. For instance, a positive media preference may beassociated with all entries in the preference database 700 having genreof Genre 3, except for entries having an artist name of Artist 1. Assuch, a positive media preference may be identified if the metadata forthe media item indicates a genre of Genre 3, but a negative mediapreference may be identified if the metadata for the media item alsoindicates an artist name of Artist 1. Other implementations of databasesearching, including some combination of the examples discussed aboveare also possible.

In some cases, as discussed above, one or more user profiles may be usedto access the media playback system 506, and the preference database 700may include an additional column indicating a user profile associatedwith a respective entry. In such a case, identifying the mediapreference associated with the media item may further involveidentifying a user profile that is accessing the media playback system506 when the data indicating that the media item is available to beplayed is received at block 502. As such, identification of the mediapreference may also be based on the user profile that is accessing themedia playback system 506. Accordingly, media preferences associatedwith the user profile may be applicable only when the user profile isaccessing the media playback system 506.

As indicated above, the preference database 700 is affiliated with themedia playback system 506, and contains media preferences associatedwith user profiles of the media playback system 506 and media contentplayed by the media playback system 506. Accordingly, in some examples,the service provider providing the media item to be played, and theservice providers that previously provided media items for which mediapreferences were provided, may not be relevant when identifying apreference for a media item. For instance, if the data received at block602 is from the service provider 502, the entry in the preferencedatabase 700 matching the media item based on the received data may be,in one case, associated with the service provider 502 because theservice provider 502 provided the media item when the entry was added tothe preference database, or in another case, associated with anotherservice provider. Whichever the case, the same media preference may beidentified for the media item based on the entry in the preferencedatabase 700, independent of the service provider associated with theentry in the preference database 700.

At block 606, the method involves determining, based on the identifiedmedia preference, whether the media item should be played. In somecases, the identified media preference may be one of either a positivemedia preference or a negative media preference. In such cases, if theidentified media preference is a positive media preference, adetermination may be made that the media item should be played. On theother hand, if the identified media preference is a negative mediapreference, a determination may be made that the media item should notbe played.

In some other cases, the identified media preference may not be only oneof either a negative media preference or a positive media preference.For instance, the identified media preference may include multiple mediapreferences, including both positive and negative media preferences. Insuch a case, a determination may be made based on the different mediapreferences. In one example, different associations between the mediaitem and media preferences in the preferences database may be weighteddifferently, and a determination of whether the media item should beplayed may be based on an average or sum of the weighted mediapreferences. In such a case, a media preference threshold may beimplemented such that a determination is made that the media item shouldbe played only if the average or sum of the weighted media preferencesexceeds the threshold. Other examples are also possible.

In some further cases, determining whether the media item should beplayed may further involve determining when the media item was mostrecently played, and/or how frequently the media item is played.Continuing with the weighted media preferences and media preferencethreshold example above, if the media item has been recently played, themedia preference threshold for determining that the media item should beplayed may be more restrictive. In another words, a dynamic thresholdmay be implemented such that if a strong positive media preference isidentified for the media item, a determination may be made that themedia item should be played even if the media item has been recentlyplayed or is frequently played. On the other hand, if a mild positivemedia preference is identified, a determination may be made that themedia item should be played only if the media item was not recentlyplayed. Other examples are also possible.

As shown in FIG. 6, if a determination is made that the media itemshould be played, the method 600 may proceed to block 610, involvingcausing the media item to be played. In one example, causing the mediaitem to be played may involve allowing and/or directing the mediaplayback system 506 to proceed to play the media item provided by theservice provider 502 without any further action. In another example,causing the media item to be played may involve sending to the mediaplayback system 506 an indication that the media item is to be played.In one example, the media item may be provided to the playback devicefrom the service provider 502 via another device in the media playbacksystem 506 or the media system server 504. In such a case, atransmission or forwarding of the media item by the other device in themedia playback system 506 to the playback device may indicate that themedia item is to be played.

Alternatively, if a determination is made that the media item should notbe played, the method 600 may proceed to block 608, which involvessending an indication that the media item is not to be played. In oneexample, the indication may inform the media playback system 506 thatthe media item will not be provided because a determination is made thatthe media item should not be played. In response to receiving theindication that the media item is not to be played, the media playbacksystem 506 will not play the media item.

In one example, the indication may be sent directly to the serviceprovider 502. In another example, the media system server 504 may sendthe indication to the media playback system 506, which may, uponreceiving the indication, send the indication to the service provider502. In one case, the media playback system 506 or media system server504 may also send a request for different media content. In this case,when the different media content is provided by the service provider 502and is available to be played by the playback device, the method 600 mayloop back to block 602 to determine whether the different media contentis to be played.

In one example, the indication may include media preference dataindicating a negative media preference associated between the media itemthat is not to be played, and the user account used to access the serverprovider 502 may also be sent to the service provider 502. In this case,the service provider 502 may record the negative media preference forthe media item in association with the user account. Other examples arealso possible.

In some embodiments, an indication may also be sent to one or morecontroller devices in communication with the media playback system 506.The respective user interfaces of the one or more controller devices mayaccordingly display an indication that a media item was not played basedon an identified media preference. In some cases, a list of media itemsthat were provided, or attempted to be provided, but not played due toidentified media preferences may be compiled provided on the respectiveuser interfaces. Other examples are also possible.

One having ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the examplesdiscussed above may be applied in various media playback scenarios. Forinstance, the embodiments described herein may generally apply to ascenario in which the service provider 502 provides a media item to themedia playback system that was not specifically requested. On the otherhand, however, if the media item was explicitly and specificallyselected for playback, the media item may be played whether any mediapreference, positive or negative is associated with corresponding mediaitem(s) in the preference database 700. In such a case, the process ofidentifying a media preference in the preference database 700 may bebypassed. Alternatively, an indication that the media item wasexplicitly and specifically selected may override media preferences inthe preference database. Other examples are also possible.

In addition to the scenarios described above, embodiments herein mayalso be implemented and/or applied in other media playback scenarios toachieve similar or difference purposes as well, such as a parentalcontrol of media content. Other examples are also possible.

IV. Conclusion

The description above discloses, among other things, various examplesystems, methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture including,among other components, firmware and/or software executed on hardware.It is understood that such examples are merely illustrative and shouldnot be considered as limiting. For example, it is contemplated that anyor all of the firmware, hardware, and/or software aspects or componentscan be embodied exclusively in hardware, exclusively in software,exclusively in firmware, or in any combination of hardware, software,and/or firmware. Accordingly, the examples provided are not the onlyway(s) to implement such systems, methods, apparatus, and/or articles ofmanufacture.

As indicated above, the present application involves managing mediaplayback based on media preferences. In one embodiment, a method isprovided. The method involves receiving, by a computing device, dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the received data, identifying, by the computingdevice, in a preference database associated with the media playbacksystem, a media preference. The method also involves, based on theidentified media preference, determining, by the computing device, thatthe media item is not to be played by the playback device, and sending,by the computing device, an indication that the media item is not to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable bythe processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving data indicating that a media item is available to beplayed by a playback device, and based on the received data, identifyingin a preference database associated with the media playback system, amedia preference. The functions also include, based on the identifiedmedia preference, determining that the media item is not to be played bythe playback device, and sending an indication that the media item isnot to be played.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions. The functions include receiving dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the received data, identifying in a preferencedatabase associated with the media playback system, a media preference.The functions also include, based on the identified media preference,determining that the media item is not to be played by the playbackdevice, and sending an indication that the media item is not to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method involvesreceiving, by a computing device, data indicating that a media item isavailable to be played by a playback device, and based on theinformation associated with the media item, identifying, by thecomputing device, a media preference. The method further involves, basedon the identified media preference, determining that the media item isto be played by the playback device, and causing the media item to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable bythe processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving data indicating that a media item is available to beplayed by a playback device, and based on the information associatedwith the media item, identifying a media preference. The functionsfurther include, based on the identified media preference, determiningthat the media item is to be played by the playback device, and causingthe media item to be played.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions. The functions include receiving dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the information associated with the media item,identifying a media preference. The functions further include, based onthe identified media preference, determining that the media item is tobe played by the playback device, and causing the media item to beplayed.

In another embodiment, a method is provided. The method involvesreceiving, by a computing device, data indicating that a media item isavailable to be played by a playback device, and based on the receiveddata, identifying, by the computing device, a media preference. Themethod further involves, based on the identified media preference,determining, by the computing device, one of the following: (a) that themedia item is not to be played by the playback device, and (b) that themedia item is to be played by the playback device. If a determination ismade that the media item is not to be played by the playback device, themethod involves sending, by the computing device, an indication that themedia item is not to be played. If a determination is made that themedia item is to be played, the method involves causing, by thecomputing device, the media item to be played.

In another embodiment, a device is provided. The device includes aprocessor and memory having stored thereon instructions executable bythe processor to cause the device to perform functions. The functionsinclude receiving data indicating that a media item is available to beplayed by a playback device, and based on the received data, a mediapreference. The functions further include, based on the identified mediapreference, determining one of the following: (a) that the media item isnot to be played by the playback device, and (b) that the media item isto be played by the playback device. If a determination is made that themedia item is not to be played by the playback device, the functionsinclude sending an indication that the media item is not to be played.If a determination is made that the media item is to be played, thefunctions include causing the media item to be played.

In another embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable memory isprovided. The non-transitory computer readable memory has stored thereoninstructions executable by a computing device to cause the computingdevice to perform functions. The functions include receiving dataindicating that a media item is available to be played by a playbackdevice, and based on the received data, identifying a media preference.The functions further include, based on the identified media preference,determining one of the following: (a) that the media item is not to beplayed by the playback device, and (b) that the media item is to beplayed by the playback device. If a determination is made that the mediaitem is not to be played by the playback device, the functions includesending an indication that the media item is not to be played. If adetermination is made that the media item is to be played, the functionsinclude causing the media item to be played.

Additionally, references herein to “embodiment” means that a particularfeature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with theembodiment can be included in at least one example embodiment of aninvention. The appearances of this phrase in various places in thespecification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment,nor are separate or alternative embodiments mutually exclusive of otherembodiments. As such, the embodiments described herein, explicitly andimplicitly understood by one skilled in the art, can be combined withother embodiments.

The specification is presented largely in terms of illustrativeenvironments, systems, procedures, steps, logic blocks, processing, andother symbolic representations that directly or indirectly resemble theoperations of data processing devices coupled to networks. These processdescriptions and representations are typically used by those skilled inthe art to most effectively convey the substance of their work to othersskilled in the art. Numerous specific details are set forth to provide athorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, it isunderstood to those skilled in the art that certain embodiments of thepresent disclosure can be practiced without certain, specific details.In other instances, well known methods, procedures, components, andcircuitry have not been described in detail to avoid unnecessarilyobscuring aspects of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of thepresent disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than theforgoing description of embodiments.

When any of the appended claims are read to cover a purely softwareand/or firmware implementation, at least one of the elements in at leastone example is hereby expressly defined to include a tangible,non-transitory medium such as a memory, DVD, CD, Blu-ray, and so on,storing the software and/or firmware.

I claim:
 1. A playback device of a media playback system, the playbackdevice comprising: a network interface; one or more processors; and datastorage storing instructions that when executed by the one or moreprocessors cause the playback device to perform functions comprising:receiving data representing one or more instructions to play back aparticular curated playlist of a first streaming audio service, whereinthe particular curated playlist is created by the first streaming audioservice; and in response to receiving data representing one or moreinstructions to play back the particular curated playlist of the firststreaming audio service, playing back audio tracks of the particularcurated playlist via one or more speakers, wherein playing back audiotracks of the curated playlist comprises: (i) streaming, via the networkinterface from one or more servers of the first streaming audio serviceusing a user account of the first streaming audio service, the audiotracks of the curated playlist, wherein a given user profile of themedia playback system is associated with the user account of the firststreaming audio service; (ii) before playing back a given audio track ofthe particular curated playlist, receiving, via the network interface,data representing the given audio track of the particular curatedplaylist; (iii) determining that a preference database of the mediaplayback system includes a negative preference for the given audiotrack, wherein the preference database includes preference informationassociated with respective user accounts of one or more second streamingaudio services, and wherein the given user profile of the media playbacksystem is associated with the respective user accounts of one or moresecond streaming audio services; and (iv) based on determining that thepreference database of the media playback system includes the negativepreference for the given audio track, skipping the given audio trackwhen playback of a preceding audio track finishes, wherein the playbackdevice plays back each audio track of the curated playlist if thepreference database of the media playback system excludes acorresponding negative preference for the respective audio track.
 2. Theplayback device of claim 1, wherein the preference database ismaintained on one or more media playback system servers, and whereindetermining whether the preference database of the media playback systemincludes the negative preference for the given audio track comprises:sending, via the network interface to the one or more media playbacksystem servers, a query for preferences associated with the given audiotrack in the preference database; and receiving, via the networkinterface in response to the query, the negative preference.
 3. Theplayback device of claim 1, wherein receiving the data representing thegiven audio track of the particular curated playlist comprises receivingmetadata identifying the given audio track, the metadata including oneor more of (a) a track title of the given audio track, (b) an artistname of the given audio track, and (c) an album name of the given audiotrack.
 4. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the negativepreference for the given audio track is independent of the firststreaming audio service.
 5. The playback device of claim 1, whereinplayback of the preceding audio track finishes when (a) the playbackdevice plays the preceding audio track to completion or (b) the playbackdevice skips to the given audio track while playing the preceding audiotrack.
 6. The playback device of claim 1, wherein the functions furthercomprise: if the preference database of the media playback systemincludes the negative preference for the given audio track, sending anindication of the negative preference to the one or more servers of thefirst streaming audio service.
 7. The playback device of claim 1,wherein the preference database includes preference informationassociated with the user account of the first streaming audio service,and wherein the preference information associated with the user accountof the first streaming audio service excludes a preference for the givenaudio track.
 8. A method to be performed by a playback device of a mediaplayback system, the method comprising: receiving data representing oneor more instructions to play back a particular curated playlist of afirst streaming audio service, wherein the particular curated playlistis created by the first streaming audio service; and in response toreceiving data representing one or more instructions to play back theparticular curated playlist of the first streaming audio service,playing back audio tracks of the particular curated playlist via one ormore speakers, wherein playing back audio tracks of the particularInternet radio station comprises: (i) streaming, via a network interfacefrom one or more servers of the first streaming audio service using auser account of the first streaming audio service, the audio tracks ofthe curated playlist, wherein a given user profile of the media playbacksystem is associated with the user account of the first streaming audioservice; (ii) before playing back a given audio track of the particularcurated playlist, receiving, via the network interface, datarepresenting the given audio track of the particular curated playlist;(iii) determining that a preference database of the media playbacksystem includes a negative preference for the given audio track, whereinthe preference database includes preference information associated withrespective user accounts of one or more second streaming audio services,and wherein the given user profile of the media playback system isassociated with the respective user accounts of one or more secondstreaming audio services; and (iv) based on determining that thepreference database of the media playback system includes the negativepreference for the given audio track, skipping the given audio trackwhen playback of a preceding audio track finishes, wherein the playbackdevice plays back each audio track of the curated playlist if thepreference database of the media playback system excludes acorresponding negative preference for the respective audio track.
 9. Themethod of claim 8, wherein the preference database is maintained on oneor more media playback system servers, and wherein determining whetherthe preference database of the media playback system includes thenegative preference for the given audio track comprises: sending, viathe network interface to the one or more media playback system servers,a query for preferences associated with the given audio track in thepreference database; and receiving, via the network interface inresponse to the query, the negative preference.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein receiving the data representing the given audio track of theparticular curated playlist comprises receiving metadata identifying thegiven audio track, the metadata including one or more of (a) a tracktitle of the given audio track, (b) an artist name of the given audiotrack, and (c) an album name of the given audio track.
 11. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the negative preference for the given audio track isindependent of the first streaming audio service.
 12. The method ofclaim 8, wherein playback of the preceding audio track finishes when (a)the playback device plays the preceding audio track to completion or (b)the playback device skips to the given audio track while playing thepreceding audio track.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein the methodfurther comprises: if the preference database of the media playbacksystem includes the negative preference for the given audio track,sending an indication of the negative preference to the one or moreservers of the first streaming audio service.
 14. The method of claim 8,wherein the preference database includes preference informationassociated with the user account of the first streaming audio service,and wherein the preference information associated with the user accountof the first streaming audio service excludes a preference for the givenaudio track.
 15. A tangible non-transitory computer-readable mediumhaving stored thereon instructions executable by a playback device of amedia playback system to cause the playback device to perform a methodcomprising: receiving data representing one or more instructions to playback a particular curated playlist of a first streaming audio service,wherein the particular curated playlist is created by the firststreaming audio service; and in response to receiving data representingone or more instructions to play back the particular curated playlist ofthe first streaming audio service, playing back audio tracks of theparticular curated playlist via one or more speakers, wherein playingback audio tracks of the particular curated playlist comprises:streaming, via a network interface from one or more servers of the firststreaming audio service using a user account of the first streamingaudio service, the audio tracks of the curated playlist, wherein a givenuser profile of the media playback system is associated with the useraccount of the first streaming audio service; (ii) before playing back agiven audio track of the particular curated playlist, receiving, via thenetwork interface, data representing the given audio track of theparticular curated playlist; (iii) determining that a preferencedatabase of the media playback system includes a negative preference forthe given audio track, wherein the preference database includespreference information associated with respective user accounts of oneor more second streaming audio services, and wherein the given userprofile of the media playback system is associated with the respectiveuser accounts of one or more second streaming audio services; and (iv)based on determining that the preference database of the media playbacksystem includes the negative preference for the given audio track,skipping the given audio track when playback of a preceding audio trackfinishes, wherein the playback device plays back each audio track of thecurated playlist if the preference database of the media playback systemexcludes a corresponding negative preference for the respective audiotrack.
 16. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim15, wherein the preference database is maintained on one or more mediaplayback system servers, and wherein determining whether the preferencedatabase of the media playback system includes the negative preferencefor the given audio track comprises: sending, via the network interfaceto the one or more media playback system servers, a query forpreferences associated with the given audio track in the preferencedatabase; and receiving, via the network interface in response to thequery, the negative preference.
 17. The tangible non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein receiving the datarepresenting the given audio track of the particular curated playlistcomprises receiving metadata identifying the given audio track, themetadata including one or more of (a) a track title of the given audiotrack, (b) an artist name of the given audio track, and (c) an albumname of the given audio track.
 18. The tangible non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein the negative preferencefor the given audio track is independent of the first streaming audioservice.
 19. The tangible non-transitory computer-readable medium ofclaim 15, wherein playback of the preceding audio track finishes when(a) the playback device plays the preceding audio track to completion or(b) the playback device skips to the given audio track while playing thepreceding audio track.
 20. The tangible non-transitory computer-readablemedium of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises: if thepreference database of the media playback system includes the negativepreference for the given audio track, sending an indication of thenegative preference to the one or more servers of the first streamingaudio service.